Space Room and Cheese

What happened to me at the end of that? asked Pliny the Elder.

At the end of what? I asked.

At the end of your post yesterday, said Pliny. You began by speaking to me and finished up having a conversation with Li Feng, a conversation that should have formed the middle part of the story. By rights, I should have had the last word.

Why?

It would have been more satisfying.

To you maybe. What would you have said?

I would have asked, said Pliny, whether your friend understood the joke.

I knew that, I said. That is why I left you out. It would have been a flat sort of ending. And anyway, I had run out of space.

May I ask it now? asked Pliny.

No. We're going to change the subject.

Good, what it is going to be?

What would you like it to be?

Birds.

It's not going to be birds. Let us stretch ourselves. It's going to be about space.

Space? As in..... room?

No space as in Outer Space, but we have run out of room. It will have to be our subject for tomorrow.

Nonsense! There is room. Let us begin on the subject. What do you know about Space?

Well, I went to a lecture on Space last night after which there was champagne and cheese. I had two drinks and ate a lot of cheese. Now, I just need to recall what I learned.

It is unwise to eat too much cheese in the evening.

True, but I learned a lot more than that.